Ossoff, Warnock each raised more than $100 million in two months, records show

By Cleve R. Wootson Jr. and Anu Narayanswamy,

ATLANTA — The two Democratic candidates in the upcoming Senate runoffs in Georgia each raised more than $100 million in the past two months — huge sums that put them ahead of their Republican opponents in closely watched races that will determine control of Congress’s upper chamber.

Democrat Jon Ossoff raised almost $107 million, while his Republican opponent, Sen. David Perdue took in $68 million, according to Federal Election Commission reports made public Thursday night.

Democrat Raphael Warnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, raised $103 million while his opponent, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, raised nearly $64 million, the filings show.

The filings cover the period between Oct. 15 and Dec. 16, including a portion of the general election and six weeks of the runoff. They provide a snapshot of a race that has attracted national attention and, as was made clear Thursday, hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign cash.

Nearly half of the campaign haul for the two Democratic candidates came from people donating less than $200. Donations from such small-dollar givers made up 29 percent of Loeffler’s haul and 25 percent of Perdue’s.

Political groups and campaigns have spent nearly $468 million on ad buys in the two races, according to data from AdImpact.

The four candidates are also being supported by several super PACs and nonprofit organizations. These groups have also poured millions into advertisements, FEC records show.

Among the many super PACs supporting the Republican candidates is Georgia United Victory, which is primarily funded by Loeffler’s husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. The super PAC has spent $4.5 million since the Nov. 3 election, according to the FEC, mostly on digital advertising and get-out-the-vote campaigns for Loeffler and Perdue in the runoff.

Another super PAC, Peachtree PAC, bankrolled by the GOP-supporting Senate Leadership Fund, was set up solely for the Georgia runoff. The super PAC, which spent more than $15 million during the past seven weeks, is not required to disclose its donors until well after the runoff, under FEC rules.

Some Georgia-based groups supporting the Democrats have also seen a surge in donations, according to previously filed reports. Fair Fight, a group founded by former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, raised $22 million between Nov. 24 and Dec. 16, a spike in donations since the group was founded in 2019.

Two other major super PACs supporting Democrats in the race, Georgia Honor and Georgia Way, have spent $28 million on the race since the general election, according to FEC reports. They are backed by Senate Majority PAC, which works to elect Democrats to the chamber. They also are not required to disclose their donors before the runoff.

If both Democrats win, the upper chamber would be split 50-50 between the two parties, with Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris (D) holding the tie-breaking vote after she is inaugurated.

The race will determine whether President-elect Joe Biden is able to enact an ambitious agenda in his first two years in office — or if Republicans can erect a bulwark to Democratic control.

The result of all the spending in the race, as any Georgian near a television screen can attest, is an avalanche of ads flooding airwaves, sometimes filling entire blocks of commercials during news broadcasts and SEC football games. Planeloads of prominent politicians have traversed Georgia, trying to whip up their respective bases.

President Trump made an appearance in Valdosta, Ga., earlier this month and is planning another visit on the eve of Election Day. He has encouraged Republicans to vote despite questioning the integrity of the state’s election system with baseless claims of fraud. Vice President Pence has made a half-dozen visits to the state, often favoring outdoor events at airports and using Air Force Two as a backdrop.

They and other Republicans have cast Loeffler and Perdue as a last line of defense against total control by politicians they have vilified, such as Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Meanwhile, former president Barack Obama appeared at a virtual get-out-the-vote event, and both Biden and Harris have made appearances, stressing to supporters that a pair of Democratic victories would curb Republican obstruction in the Senate and help the new president make sweeping changes Democrats have long advocated.

Obama has cited his own experience while president as proof: With the help of a Democratic-controlled Senate, his administration and Congress were able to enact the Affordable Care Act. But Democratic gains stopped once Republicans had control of the Senate.